My Heart Stopped Beating
There's A Class For This
“Oh, come on!”
My fist banged against the stubborn locker in frustration.
“You turn it left first, right? Or is it right, then left? Ugh, I’m hopeless.” It wasn’t rare for me to talk to myself on occasion; usually it was only when I was annoyed.
“Work with me,” I pleaded softly, giving the lock another try. Slowly, I turned it to each number, pausing to make sure the triangle and small notch lined up perfectly. As I got to the last number, I stopped, silently urging the locker to cooperate. I pushed down abruptly, waiting for the satisfying click I’d been hoping to hear for the past three minutes, but nothing happened.
I frowned and slammed my hip against the shiny blue door. Why do I always get the faulty lock when everybody else has perfectly good ones? With an over exaggerated sigh, I leaned back against the locker and slid down to the floor.
“Having difficulties?” a playful tone interrupted my thoughts. I looked up. Mikey held out his hand, beaming his goofy trademark grin. I took it gratefully and let him pull me up off the ground. “I’m guessing you’re not getting along with your locker so well.”
I glared at him halfheartedly; I could tell he was amused. “Actually, we’re getting along great. It’s the lock itself that strongly dislikes me.” I handed him the combination out of habit. I’ve never succeeded in opening a locker by myself; somebody else always had to do it for me.
Mikey turned the dial so fast, it was as if he’d simply flicked his wrist and the locker opened with ease. My jaw dropped as he smirked lightly, slamming the locker shut and returning the combination. “Now see if you can do it. It’s right, left, right.” I groaned, stepping forward and attempting the impossible. As I turned the dial carefully, Mikey leaned against a neighboring locker and bit his lip as he read over his schedule. “What classes do you have?” he asked curiously. “Oh, just a bunch of advanced classes that you’re probably in too. I think I also took Health Team Relations and some Art class.”
His brow furrowed at my words as he snatched my schedule off the ground by my feet. He scanned it briefly, frowning slightly. His face quickly cleared off all emotion as his eyes connected with mine.
“I should get going so I’m not late.” He tossed the schedule at me before getting lost in a sea of teenagers. Confused, I caught the fluttering bright yellow slip of paper and watched as he disappeared. He must have just found something wrong in his class lineup. Or maybe he wants to change classes, thought I’m not sure if he can, considering school already started. Whatever the case, he could talk his way in or out of any situation with his innocent, shy charm. What’s-her-name at the main office once let him go without a punishment when he got locked outside and accused of skipping class. I chuckled at the memory as I grabbed my things and headed off to third period, sending my locker one last glare.
“I’m feeling very unintelligent right now,” Jordan groaned, rubbing her temples. “Advanced classes just aren’t for me, I think I should drop it.”
Lacey slung her arm across her shoulders. “Don’t do that! Then Nat and I will be alone with all those nerds!” I chuckled, shaking my head as Lacey’s other arm wound around my waist and we walked down the hall, the definition of ‘Best Friends’. “I just so happen to be on of those nerds.”
“No, you’re just really smart. Those guys have no life outside of school. We are social and spend our time listening to music and seeing who can down a Jamocha the fastest.” Lacey clarified, before skipping off to theatre. Jordan waved as she headed off to whatever class she had left.
I smiled as I pushed through the double doors at the end of the hall and made my way across campus to Art. Hopefully I’d know some other people in what I considered to be the easiest class our school had to offer. I clutched to my obscene jacket, despite the heat and picked up my pace as the bell rang.
I flew through the door and into the nearest seat before the teacher had fully turned around. With frizzy hair and glasses askew, she searched the room with confusion written on her face. A few students chuckled as I simply leaned back in my seat, raising an eyebrow. With a frown, and one last lingering glance in my direction, she cleared her throat and began class.
“My name is Ms.Heath, welcome to Art 2. I see some familiar faces,” she pointedly shot me a grin. I frowned; I’d never met her before. Maybe she was smiling at someone behind me, or beside me…. Before I had a chance to turn around, she continued. “I was planning a back-to-school project, but not all of the supplies were available. I’m afraid we’ll have to start that in a week or so. The seats you are sitting in now are the seats you will have all semester. Now, turn to the person seated beside you in your ancient two-person tables and….” Her voice droned on and was lost in the excited muttering of my peers. I turned my eyes curiously to the left, only for them to connect with a very familiar of dark, cold brown eyes that shot glares like daggers at me in the hallways. Disapproving eyes that criticized me very time I tripped or stumbled. Eyes that mocked me every time I got an answer wrong in class. Eyes that turned particularly cold whenever I talked to his brother. Eyes that I feared, as childish and immature as it seems. Gerard’s eyes.
He sneered, looking away. I had to spend the next semester sitting next to him? To think, if I hadn’t stopped by the locker I was condemned to and would probably never use, I would have been here earlier. I could be sitting next to someone much more cooperative, like Amanda, who scared me a little but was pretty nice. Or maybe Justin, who could hold a decent conversation, even if it was usually about Halo. I frowned as I studied Gerard’s features; I could be sitting next to someone who actually tolerated me if my locker wasn’t so evil. Yet, I had to sit next to stupid Gerard with his stupid nose and his stupid eyes, full of a sudden confusion as the moment. His nose lifted slightly, and the confused look was replaced with a sudden understanding yet angry look as he casually picked up his folder and held it over his head.
My jaw dropped slightly in disbelief. Did he just put a folder on his head, as if it were perfectly normal? Just then, a shrill bell pierced the air throughout the school and the overhead sprinklers sprang to life, the class erupting in chaos.
My fist banged against the stubborn locker in frustration.
“You turn it left first, right? Or is it right, then left? Ugh, I’m hopeless.” It wasn’t rare for me to talk to myself on occasion; usually it was only when I was annoyed.
“Work with me,” I pleaded softly, giving the lock another try. Slowly, I turned it to each number, pausing to make sure the triangle and small notch lined up perfectly. As I got to the last number, I stopped, silently urging the locker to cooperate. I pushed down abruptly, waiting for the satisfying click I’d been hoping to hear for the past three minutes, but nothing happened.
I frowned and slammed my hip against the shiny blue door. Why do I always get the faulty lock when everybody else has perfectly good ones? With an over exaggerated sigh, I leaned back against the locker and slid down to the floor.
“Having difficulties?” a playful tone interrupted my thoughts. I looked up. Mikey held out his hand, beaming his goofy trademark grin. I took it gratefully and let him pull me up off the ground. “I’m guessing you’re not getting along with your locker so well.”
I glared at him halfheartedly; I could tell he was amused. “Actually, we’re getting along great. It’s the lock itself that strongly dislikes me.” I handed him the combination out of habit. I’ve never succeeded in opening a locker by myself; somebody else always had to do it for me.
Mikey turned the dial so fast, it was as if he’d simply flicked his wrist and the locker opened with ease. My jaw dropped as he smirked lightly, slamming the locker shut and returning the combination. “Now see if you can do it. It’s right, left, right.” I groaned, stepping forward and attempting the impossible. As I turned the dial carefully, Mikey leaned against a neighboring locker and bit his lip as he read over his schedule. “What classes do you have?” he asked curiously. “Oh, just a bunch of advanced classes that you’re probably in too. I think I also took Health Team Relations and some Art class.”
His brow furrowed at my words as he snatched my schedule off the ground by my feet. He scanned it briefly, frowning slightly. His face quickly cleared off all emotion as his eyes connected with mine.
“I should get going so I’m not late.” He tossed the schedule at me before getting lost in a sea of teenagers. Confused, I caught the fluttering bright yellow slip of paper and watched as he disappeared. He must have just found something wrong in his class lineup. Or maybe he wants to change classes, thought I’m not sure if he can, considering school already started. Whatever the case, he could talk his way in or out of any situation with his innocent, shy charm. What’s-her-name at the main office once let him go without a punishment when he got locked outside and accused of skipping class. I chuckled at the memory as I grabbed my things and headed off to third period, sending my locker one last glare.
“I’m feeling very unintelligent right now,” Jordan groaned, rubbing her temples. “Advanced classes just aren’t for me, I think I should drop it.”
Lacey slung her arm across her shoulders. “Don’t do that! Then Nat and I will be alone with all those nerds!” I chuckled, shaking my head as Lacey’s other arm wound around my waist and we walked down the hall, the definition of ‘Best Friends’. “I just so happen to be on of those nerds.”
“No, you’re just really smart. Those guys have no life outside of school. We are social and spend our time listening to music and seeing who can down a Jamocha the fastest.” Lacey clarified, before skipping off to theatre. Jordan waved as she headed off to whatever class she had left.
I smiled as I pushed through the double doors at the end of the hall and made my way across campus to Art. Hopefully I’d know some other people in what I considered to be the easiest class our school had to offer. I clutched to my obscene jacket, despite the heat and picked up my pace as the bell rang.
I flew through the door and into the nearest seat before the teacher had fully turned around. With frizzy hair and glasses askew, she searched the room with confusion written on her face. A few students chuckled as I simply leaned back in my seat, raising an eyebrow. With a frown, and one last lingering glance in my direction, she cleared her throat and began class.
“My name is Ms.Heath, welcome to Art 2. I see some familiar faces,” she pointedly shot me a grin. I frowned; I’d never met her before. Maybe she was smiling at someone behind me, or beside me…. Before I had a chance to turn around, she continued. “I was planning a back-to-school project, but not all of the supplies were available. I’m afraid we’ll have to start that in a week or so. The seats you are sitting in now are the seats you will have all semester. Now, turn to the person seated beside you in your ancient two-person tables and….” Her voice droned on and was lost in the excited muttering of my peers. I turned my eyes curiously to the left, only for them to connect with a very familiar of dark, cold brown eyes that shot glares like daggers at me in the hallways. Disapproving eyes that criticized me very time I tripped or stumbled. Eyes that mocked me every time I got an answer wrong in class. Eyes that turned particularly cold whenever I talked to his brother. Eyes that I feared, as childish and immature as it seems. Gerard’s eyes.
He sneered, looking away. I had to spend the next semester sitting next to him? To think, if I hadn’t stopped by the locker I was condemned to and would probably never use, I would have been here earlier. I could be sitting next to someone much more cooperative, like Amanda, who scared me a little but was pretty nice. Or maybe Justin, who could hold a decent conversation, even if it was usually about Halo. I frowned as I studied Gerard’s features; I could be sitting next to someone who actually tolerated me if my locker wasn’t so evil. Yet, I had to sit next to stupid Gerard with his stupid nose and his stupid eyes, full of a sudden confusion as the moment. His nose lifted slightly, and the confused look was replaced with a sudden understanding yet angry look as he casually picked up his folder and held it over his head.
My jaw dropped slightly in disbelief. Did he just put a folder on his head, as if it were perfectly normal? Just then, a shrill bell pierced the air throughout the school and the overhead sprinklers sprang to life, the class erupting in chaos.